Containers are used to enclose goods that are transported from manufacturer's to consumers. The containers enclose the goods for protecting the goods, for shipping and handling of the goods, and for storage of the goods.
Corrugated paperboard containers provide a light weight yet relatively strong body for enclosing goods. Corrugated paperboard containers, known generally in the trade as slotted cartons, provide a number of advantages. Slotted cartons typically are formed from an elongate blank of corrugated paperboard sheet. Scores are formed in the blank which are spaced-apart and transverse to a longitudinal axis of the blank. The scores define wall panels in the blank, and typically bottom and top flaps are defined by a pair of scores spaced-apart from the longitudinal axis. The flaps fold along the scores to close the container formed from the blank.
A score at one end of the blank defines a manufacturer's joint. The blank of the corrugated paperboard sheet is folded on the scores. The manufacturer's joint is adhesively joined to the wall panel at the opposite end of the blank. A walled container defining a cavity for holding goods is thereby formed. Such containers can be shipped and stored in a "knocked-down" configuration in which the container is substantially flat. For use, the container is "squared-open" whereby the walls of the container are disposed at substantially perpendicular angles. The walls of the container define a cavity for containing goods within the container. These containers also typically include foldable flaps to form a closed top and bottom for the container. On large containers, often a separate corrugated top cap or lid is preferred for ease of handling, top loading the container, and cost. Such top caps are typically constucted of a lighter weight singlewall corrugated paperboard.
Large knock-down corrugated paperboard containers are used for holding, storing, and shipping bulk flowable materials. For example, plastics manufacturer's ship containers holding hundreds of pounds of plastic beads to customers. Typically such containers are large. One plastics resin manufacturer uses containers which are approximately thirty-six inches wide, forty-two inches long, and thirty-three inches high, which defines a cavity of approximately twenty-eight cubic feet. Because of the size of the container, its weight, and the difficulties in folding the bottom flaps, two production line workers handle and setup the knocked-down containers at the filling station on the production line.
For use, the corrugated paperboard container is squared-open and the bottom is formed by folding the opposing bottom flaps inwardly. Two opposing flaps from two opposing side panels are folded inwardly. The other two opposing flaps are then folded over. The folded-over flaps thereby define the bottom of the container. The squared-open container must then be inverted onto a pallet with the bottom down. The bottom flaps however tend to spring open along the scores separating the bottom flaps from the respective side or end panel of the corrugated paperboard body. The springy bottom flaps make inverting the container awkward and difficult to accomplish. The container may move away from a substantially squared-open configuration to a partially collapsed configuration. To keep the bottom flaps from moving from the folded, bottom-defining, squared-open orientation, a ribbon of adhesive tape is used to hold the flaps closed. The workers attach the tape along the seam between the opposing flaps.
The two workers accordingly are needed in order to hold the container substantially squared open and to apply the tape over the seam between the opposing flaps. The workers than invert the container and position the bottom on a pallet. The pallet and the open container are moved along the assembly line for filling with the bulk materials, such as plastic pellets.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved corrugated paperboard container that is more readily squared-open and inverted for filling with bulk materials.